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A special 25th anniversary edition of the extraordinary international bestseller, including a new Foreword by Paulo Coelho.

Combining magic, mysticism, wisdom and wonder into an inspiring tale of self-discovery, The Alchemist has become a modern classic, selling millions of copies around the world and transforming the lives of countless readers across generations.

Paulo Coelho's masterpiece tells the mystical story of Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy who yearns to travel in search of a worldly treasure. His quest will lead him to riches far different—and far more satisfying—than he ever imagined. Santiago's journey teaches us about the essential wisdom of listening to our hearts, of recognizing opportunity and learning to read the omens strewn along life's path, and, most importantly, to follow our dreams.

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From the Publisher

Paulo Coelho

Paulo Coelho Discusses the 25th Anniversary Edition of The Alchemist

What originally inspired you to write The Alchemist? Coelho: My dream was to be a writer. I wrote my first book in 1987, The Pilgrimage, after completing my own personal pilgrimage from France to Santiago de Compostela, Spain. After that I thought, “Why did it take me so long to fulfill my dream?” So I decided to write a metaphor, and this metaphor is The Alchemist: a novel about someone who needs to fulfill his or her dream, but takes too long because he or she thinks it’s impossible. The Alchemist has sold over 150 million copies worldwide, won 115 international prizes and awards, has been translated into 80 languages, and is still on the New York Times bestseller list today, 25 years after its initial publication. What impact has this success had on your life? Coelho: Of course The Alchemist opened a lot of doors for me. At the moment I’m answering this question, the novel is still on The New York Times bestseller list. But success did not happen overnight, so I had time to get used to it. The book was not something that exploded all of a sudden. I believe success can be a blessing, and it can also be a curse. I was older when the recognition came, so I had another level of maturity to face that change. When it happened, I remember thinking, “My God, this is a blessing. ' So above all, I had to respect it. And the way to respect it is to really understand that a blessing has no explanation, but needs to be treasured and honored. Do you closely relate to any of the characters in The Alchemist? If so, how? Coelho: In The Alchemist, I relate myself to the Englishman - someone who is trying to understand life through books. It’s quite interesting how many times we use books to understand life. I think that a book is a catalyst: it provokes a reaction. I am a compulsive reader. I read a lot, but from time to time, there are books that changed my life. Well, it’s not that the book itself changed my life; it’s that I was already ready to change, and needed to not feel alone. The same thing happens with the Englishman in The Alchemist. What have you discovered about your own personal destiny in the past 25 years since writing The Alchemist? Coelho: What I learned after writing The Alchemist, after the worldwide success, is basically that I had a dream, a Personal Legend to fulfill. To be a writer is to write. To write means new books. New books mean new challenges. Of course, I could have stopped with The Alchemist a long time ago if I was only in it for money, but I really love what I do. I can’t see myself not writing. It’s not always an easy task, sometimes it’s very challenging, but this is what I do and this is what I like. So the journey itself is the miracle; it is the blessing. There is no point to reach. You have to travel your journey with joy, hope, and challenges in your heart. Is there anything you would like to say to your readers and fans? Coelho: To my readers and my fans, basically my companions, I would say that spirituality is being brave, is taking risks, is daring to do something when people are always telling you not to. My parents, for example, did not want me to be a writer, and that’s why it took so long for me to fulfill my dream. But here I am, thanks to that moment after my pilgrimage from France to Spain, when I said to myself, 'I can’t live with a dream that I did not even try to fulfill. ' Do the same thing.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“It’s a brilliant, magical, life-changing book that continues to blow my mind with its lessons. [...] A remarkable tome.” (NEIL PATRICK HARRIS, ACTOR)

“it changed my whole life. I realized of all of the people who had conspired to get me to this place.” (PHARRELL WILLIAMS, MUSICIAN AND SONG-WRITER)

“A wise and inspiring fable about the pilgrimage that life should be.” (M. Scott Peck)

“An adventure story full of magic and wisdom.” (Rudolfo Anaya, author of Bless Me, Ultima)

From the Back Cover

Paulo Coelho's enchanting novel has inspired a devoted following around the world. This story, dazzling in its powerful simplicity and soul-stirring wisdom, is about an Andalusian shepherd boy named Santiago who travels from his homeland in Spain to the Egyptian desert in search of a treasure buried near the Pyramids. Along the way he meets a Gypsy woman, a man who calls himself king, and an alchemist, all of whom point Santiago in the direction of his quest. No one knows what the treasure is, or if Santiago will be able to surmount the obstacles in his path. But what starts out as a journey to find worldly goods turns into a discovery of the treasure found within. Lush, evocative, and deeply humane, the story of Santiago is an eternal testament to the transforming power of our dreams and the importance of listening to our hearts.

Top customer reviews

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The Alchemist is a gripping narrative about a young Andalusian shepherd named Santiago and his journey to find the greatest treasure in the world. This charming story follows Santiago on his journey to Egypt, after having a recurring dream of finding treasure there. Santiago travels across great distances and encounters crazy adventures in his quest for gold. Little does he know that the ultimate treasure is actually found deep within.

This dream was so prophetic that Santiago genuinely believed this was his ultimate goal in life. After deciding to travel to a Romani fortune-teller in a nearby town to discover its meaning, a gypsy woman tells him that there is a treasure in the Pyramids in Egypt.

Towards the beginning of his journey, Santiago meets an old king, named Melchizedek, who advises him to sell his sheep in order to travel to Egypt. He also introduces the idea of a Personal Legend, stating that your Personal Legend, “is what you have always wanted to accomplish. Everyone, when they are young, knows what their Personal Legend is.”

The Alchemist Physical CoverAlong the journey, Santiago meets an Englishman who is in search of an Alchemist and together they continue their search for treasure. As they travel through the Sahara desert, Santiago meets and falls in love with a beautiful Arabian woman named Fatima. After a brief period of time, Santiago asks Fatima to marry him, but she tells him that she will only marry him after he finds his treasures. Perplexed by this, Santiago later learns that true love will not stop one’s Personal Legend, and if it does, it is not true love.

Eventually Santiago meets a lone alchemist who teaches him about Personal Legends. He shares his wisdom that people want to find only the treasure of their Personal Legends but not the Personal Legend itself. The alchemist states,

“Those who don’t understand their Personal Legends will fail to comprehend their teachings.”

If you are looking for a book that will inspire courage, this is the one. No matter what your dream, goals or visions are, the universe will conspire to help you achieve the things you want, regardless of how insurmountable the task seems. You must live the life you truly desire to its fullest extent if you want to look back on a life having worth lived.

I purchased and began reading this book 2 years ago and, for whatever reason, I couldn't get into it. I found it incredibly dull and tedious and finally gave up halfway through.

A few weeks ago I took my mother to a dental appointment and opened my Kindle to see what I had available while I waited. I decided to give this book another try and started from the beginning, as I couldn't remember anything from what I read previously. I'm not sure what was different this time around, but I was completely engrossed and my 2 hour wait flew by! I continued to read whenever I found a chance and finished it within a few days. I now find myself constantly thinking of the story and relating it to my own life, as well as my friends and family.

To put it simply, this book changed my life. The author is overtly religious, and even though I am not, I admire the messages of this story in my own way. I think that this book would have had a profound influence on me no matter what state (good or bad) my life was in when I read it, and I would recommend it to anyone. There were many parts that I read over two or three times -- not because I didn't understand, but I was so amazed that I found myself wanting to experience a passage again.The vendor that I purchased from, Bullet's' Bonanza's, was extremely kind and professional, including a personal note in the package. I would gladly do business with them again.

Here's how my reading of this book came about: I saw a quote on Pinterest that I really liked, found out the source of that quote was this book, ergo I ordered this book.

I was incredibly excited to read it (based on nothing more than the intense appeal the quote had on me). I read the first several pages and was like, "Well, this is an easy, simple little tale," but it wasn't all that appealing to me, so I marked my page, set the book down, and read a different book. Now, the magic comes here: while reading the other book (which was good) I was plagued by something I had read in the first several pages of The Alchemist, and the very fact alone that I was being haunted by words from a book I had labeled as a "simple little tale" told me that I really had no choice but to read it, after all, we must "listen to our heart," right?

So I read it- I read it, and I loved it. Then I read it again. And I still loved it. I loved it because it spoke to me on a soul level, and because for such a "simple little tale" it is filled to the brim with a deepness that, though simple, may be a lifetime in getting to the bottom of.

I have heard a lot of positive things about this book but couldn't bring myself to read it. Curiosity got the best of me and I really enjoyed the book. I must say that it's more about the underlying story than the actual story itself. More like a fable where the deeper meaning comes after you have finished the book. Part of it stays with you but not necessarily the characters, more what the characters represented. This book would appeal to those who enjoy reading and discussing philosophical novels.